


Prompt: Near-Death Experience + "You smell nice."

by Zombubble



Series: Tumblr Drabbles and Prompts [5]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Drabble, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Near-Death Experience, Trauma, Tumblr Prompts, near-drowning, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 15:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14405142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zombubble/pseuds/Zombubble
Summary: The cliff had felt stable, the rocks sure under Yuuri's feet, but a single misstep while Viktor was taking a photo brings them closer to losing everything than they'd ever been before.





	Prompt: Near-Death Experience + "You smell nice."

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ADreamingSongbird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ADreamingSongbird/gifts).



> There are descriptions of near-drowning in this, as well as very recent trauma. No serious injuries, but Yuuri and Viktor are quite shaken.
> 
> Those rocks were so sharp, and _right there._

Yuuri shivers, looking out over the ocean as he pulls his (sopping wet) coat around him. Viktor’s still sprawled out on the beach, hands over his face as he breathes hard.

“You ok?” Yuuri asks as he crawls over to sit next to his fiance, his fingers gently pushing silver hair aside.

“I should be asking  _you,”_  Viktor retorts, sitting up. “You fell off the  _cliff,_  Yuuri!! There- there are rocks at the bottom, you could have  _died!”_  His eyes move to Yuuri’s forehead, where the saltwater stings the abrasion just over his eye. “What if that… what if that was worse? What if it’d been… can you see ok? How many fingers am I holding?”

Viktor’s shuddering, almost gasping for air, as he holds two fingers out in front of him and Yuuri pulls him close in lieu of an answer. “I hit my head after I landed, when I was trying to swim back to the beach,” he says, his voice coming out far more shakily than he expected and he swallows the tendrils of fear wrapping themselves around his ribs. “I came up under an outcropping of rock. I’m okay.” His throat burns worse than it did when he’d crawled onto the beach, gasping, heaving for air as he choked on water and bile and he closes his eyes. “I’m okay, Vityusha,” he repeats, an attempt to reassure himself as well. “I’m okay.”

It’s not working, and his shoulders start to shake as his mind flashes back to the cold, the dark, the faint glimmer of light as the tide moved Yuuri towards the shore, towards the rocks he’d already been so fortunate to miss once and he thanks his lucky stars he grew up on the beach because if he hadn’t he’s not sure he’d still be here.

Flinging his arms around Yuuri, Viktor pulls him close. “You’re okay,” he says, softly. “You’re okay.” He’s still breathless, the half-mile run from the top of the cliff to where Yuuri’d dragged himself out of the ocean having exhausted him. The adrenaline, probably, moreso. He pulls back, just for a moment but Yuuri finds his body protesting, screaming for the comfort of Viktor’s embrace, the surety that comes with being held in one place as he tries to forget being buffeted around like the current’s plaything. The warmth of Vitkor’s coat comes to rest on his shoulders, and he’s pulled in once again.

“You’re okay,” Viktor says in shock, in happiness, in mild disbelief and in terror at what he’d come so close to losing and Yuuri finds himself collapsing into his arms, heaving sobs burning his chest until he can’t breathe and Viktor’s still right there, still holding him, still whispering reassurance, or at least that’s what the stream of Russian coming from his mouth sounds like.

“Breathe,” Viktor says in clear English, and Yuuri tries. In through his nose, out through his mouth, and the scent of saltwater fades slowly but steadily as his heart calms.

They sit in the cold, holding onto each other as they both cry. They’re safe, they’re alive, and once he’s calmed down Yuuri snuggles just a bit closer, savoring comfort for a moment longer before they make the trek back up to the car.

“You’re okay,” Viktor whispers, kissing Yuuri’s forehead.

Yuuri feels himself smile, start to giggle, and before long he’s looking up at Viktor with shining eyes. “You smell nice,” he says, and the surprised expression on Viktor’s face makes all of this almost worth it.

“I what?”

“You smell nice,” Yuuri says, before hot tears start running down his face. “You smell  _nice,_  like… like being home,” he finishes.  _“Like being safe,”_  he doesn’t add, but Viktor hears it anyway because he only pulls Yuuri closer as he starts crying again.

“You’re safe.You’re okay,” Viktor says, voice trembling almost as much as Yuuri. “You’re okay.”

Finally,  _finally,_  Yuuri starts to let himself believe it.

**Author's Note:**

> For Rimi b/c I know you're all about that h/c.
> 
> [Rebloggable post can be found here.](https://we-call-everything-katsudon.tumblr.com/post/173181559742/viktuuri-situation-10-sentence-30)
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at [@we-call-everything-katsudon](https://we-call-everything-katsudon.tumblr.com)


End file.
